Food that may cause hair loss

Food that may cause hair loss

It is commonly known that our diet influences the quality of our hair

If we do not provide our body with the proper amount of nutrients, it may eventually result in our hair falling out. Because of this, it is good to know what we should be eating in order to keep our hair healthy, thus reducing the process of hair loss. Firstly though, it should be mentioned what exactly causes issues with our hair. DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) is the sex hormone produced in gonads. This hormone is one of the androgens responsible for biological characteristics e.g. typical in men with a deep voice, or those who tend to have a lot of body hair. DHT is also responsible for harming sensitive hair follicles. We can reduce the amount of DHT by consuming food which is rich in nutrition which limits the DHT level. There are three main types of food which limit the DHT production: food high in zinc, biotin or phytosterols.

Zinc is a very important mineral in our diet that increases activity of about hundred different enzymes.

But above all, it helps our cells to develop and grow correctly. Biotin is widely known as vitamin H or vitamin B7. It is commonly used in treatment of hair loss and brittle nails. Phytosterols is more generally an umbrella term for over 200 different plant compounds which have various functions, for example reducing cholesterol or fighting cancer cells. Therefore this article would like to present to you the most effective foods that may block the DHT levels, in order not to make the list too extensive and complicated.

The first category is meat and seafood.

This category includes: egg yolks, boneless and skinless chicken or turkey breast, salmon, sardines, tuna fish and oysters. If you eat canned tuna, try to choose the light versions i.e. less calorific, as it proven that those contain more mercury than albacore. Oysters are rich in nutrients not only perfect for fighting with DHT, but they are also very low in cholesterol, calories and mercury. You are probably wondering why red meat is not included in this category, even though it is rich in zinc.

It is because red meat passively increases the levels of DHT

Therefore it would be wise to avoid it. The second category is: fruit and vegetables. This includes – berries (all types), avocados, mushrooms, carrots, onions, cucumbers (good for the skin), cauliflowers, spinach, and romaine lettuce. Next there are seeds, plant oils and legumes. The products under this category can include: pumpkin seeds/oil, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, pecans and peanuts. Baked beans, kidney beans, chick peas and soy beans are also very effective.

Anything that contains soy is also absolutely recommended. This may be good news for vegetarians who consume a lot of soy products. The last category is herbs. This isn’t scientifically proven but many people found that the use of pygeum, saw palmetto, licorice root, and stinging nettle can be very effective. But bear in mind, that if you want to include all of these products into your diet, you should first consult your doctor, as many of these products are prone to causing allergic reactions.